{"id":92,"date":"2013-08-28T10:31:01","date_gmt":"2013-08-28T15:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/jazz\/?page_id=92"},"modified":"2023-10-23T14:08:05","modified_gmt":"2023-10-23T19:08:05","slug":"about-the-st-olaf-jazz-ensembles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/jazz\/about-the-st-olaf-jazz-ensembles\/","title":{"rendered":"About the St. Olaf Jazz Ensembles"},"content":{"rendered":"

At St. Olaf College, music enthusiasts from any field of study can explore their passion through the nationally recognized jazz ensembles. The program boasts two bands, each with around 21 members, led by Dr. Joseph L. Jefferson. The bands showcase a wide range of musical styles such as swing, be-bop, funk, fusion, salsa, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and New Orleans grooves at every performance. The bands perform bi-annually at on-campus concerts, and collaborate with the swing club for lively swing dances. Entrance is limited to traditional big band instrumentation: saxophone, trombone, trumpet, piano, bass, guitar, drums and percussion. <\/span>Auditions<\/a><\/strong> are open to all at the beginning of the school year.<\/span><\/p>\n

St. Olaf Jazz I was voted the \u201cBest College or University Big Band\u201d by <\/span>Downbeat Magazine<\/span><\/i> in May 2011, and was awarded \u201cOutstanding Performance by Large Undergraduate Jazz Ensemble\u201d by the publication in 2019. In 2016, St. Olaf Jazz 1 toured Cuba, offering concerts in Havana and Matanzas including collaborations with renowned jazz trumpeter Rodolfo Jorge Horta Hernandez, the Banda Provincial de la Ciudad de Matanzas, and Joaquin Betancourt and his La Joven Jazz Band. After the tour, Jazz 1 released its first vinyl recording, <\/span>Cubano Be, Cubano Bop.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent years, the St. Olaf Jazz Ensembles have hosted and performed with a number jazz artists including: Melissa Aldana, Fat Kid Wednesdays, Matt Wilson Quartet, David Berkman Quartet, Kenny Werner Trio, Armen Donelian Trio, David Sanchez, Dave Pietro, Luke Gillespie, Pat Harbison, Ray Vasquez, Dave Graf, Chris Bates Group, and Debbie Duncan, among others.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stay connected with <\/span>St. Olaf Jazz<\/span><\/a> on Facebook.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

Meet Dr. Joseph L. Jefferson, Director of Jazz Ensembles<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Joseph L. Jefferson<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0 is an award-winning educator who currently serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Ensembles\/Applied Jazz Trombone at St. Olaf College. His extensive training in classical and jazz music has made him a versatile performer, playing as a soloist and chamber musician in Symphonic, Jazz, and Commercial settings both nationally and internationally. His numerous honors and awards span across the scholastic and musical spectrum, including being selected among the “Yamaha 40 under 40” Class of 2023 and receiving the 2022 Ellis Marsalis, Jr. Jazz Educator of the Year award from the Jazz Education Network. As a performer, Dr. Jefferson has shared the stage with a plethora of talented groups and artists such as Vanessa Williams, Sean Jones, The Cab Calloway Orchestra, and international R&B artists Dwele and Raheem Devaughn. In addition to his impressive resume, Dr. Jefferson is also a frequent clinician\/consultant for Jazz at Lincoln Center.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At St. Olaf College, music enthusiasts from any field of study can explore their passion through the nationally recognized jazz ensembles. The program boasts two bands, each with around 21 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-92","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/jazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/jazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/jazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/jazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/jazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/jazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1023,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/jazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92\/revisions\/1023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/jazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}